Spotify

What is it? The UK's most popular streaming service has a staggering collection of 20 million tracks. It allows you to explore and create your own radio stations with an excellent discovery tool. Premium access lets you download tracks and listen to them offline, on the go. When office-bound, their Chrome browser app is handy for getting round the draconian IS department.

You can stream an ad-supported service for 10 hours/week for free, while £4.99/month gets you an ad-free service with radio mode. It's only when you step up to premium at £9.99/ month that you get offline mode – and are also rewarded with enhanced sound quality and exclusive content... well worth a tenner, we reckon.

Turn it up Spotify has thought of everything, making itself easy to access across loads of different platforms. The sound quality reaches an excellent 320kbps and the social media integration is second to none.

Turn it down There are some gaping catalogue gaps (no Beatles or Led Zep) and for gadget gurus the three device limit could prove problematic.

Google Play Music All Access

What is it? The American giant is launching a serious offensive against the Swedes. Armed with a catalogue of 18 million songs (including Spotify absentees like the Beatles), impressive Radio and Explore options, plus the sleek design we expect from Google, All Access could become a serious contender.

Turn it up Being able to store a whopping 20,000 songs offline compared to Spotify's relatively measly 3,333 is a major boost for auido hoarders. Also, there is no need to re-login on devices; as you're signed in to your Google account you can access All Access (sorry) from as many platforms as you please, without being booted off.

Turn it down Google's single-minded determination to become a major player in the world of social media means you are able to see songs your Google+ contacts are sharing, but little else.

Deezer

What is it? Spotify may be king in Britain but across the Channel Deezer is le grand fromage of music streaming. Its 25 million track library puts even the Swedes in the shade, it supports a myriad of platforms, and it has excellent offline functions for those with a Premium+ account.

Turn it up On demand music is now free when you sign in via Facebook, Google or with an email address (it used to be limited to 30sec clips without subscription). For the wannabe DJ there is also a nifty mixing desk feature.

Turn it down There have been reports of lag in the first 20sec of songs, which can lead to skipping. And, as with Spotify, there's no Beatles or Led Zeppelin.

Rdio

What is it? Launched in 2010, Rdio is the latest tech triumph from the creators of Skype. You can perform on-demand streaming, create your own personalised radio stations and share with friends through impressive Facebook integration.

Turn it up The 'Collection' feature allows you to scan your existing iTunes or Windows libraries and add all matched content onto Rdio. This provides a quick start to your Rdio usage without leaving your old music behind. The app design is very sleek, too.

Turn it down Choosing not to publish its bitrates hints that Rdio has something to hide when it comes to sound quality. There is a noticeable difference between this service and the other big players. Audiophiles beware.

Blinkbox Music

What is it? Blinkbox is the music service formerly known as WE7. Unlike Prince, however, the change in name has led to an improvement in musical performance. It's a free, ad-supported platform that offers a radio-only service. You can create radio stations based on your favourite artists and save them for offline access.

Turn it up The discovery aspect of the service is excellent. Driven by an intuitive liking system, Blinkbox builds personalised radio stations based on what you previously gave the thumbs up. Oh, and did we mention it's free?

Turn it down Since blinkbox is solely a radio service, you can't select specific songs to hear; your listening is in the hands of their virtual DJs. At 192kbps sound quality is lower than the premium competition but for day to day use it works well.

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